1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to inflatable occupant restraints for automotive vehicles and, more particularly, to such restraints deployed on the sides of the vehicles.
2. Background Art
The use of inflatable occupant restraints, or air bags, in automotive vehicles has become common in the automotive industry. Most new vehicles are configured with inflatable occupant restraint systems which respond to frontal impacts. In order to enhance the energy-absorbing capability of their products, the automotive industry has turned its attention to developing energy-absorbing restraints responsive to excessive loading laterally of a vehicle.
One of the areas of the vehicle under consideration for use of inflatable occupant restraints to decrease lateral loading is the interior side of the vehicle, for example, the area between the upper portion of an occupant and the vehicle side glass. A roof side rail mounted side inflatable restraint system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,459 (Daniel), assigned to the assignee of the present invention, which is adequate for that portion of the interior vehicle side between the A and B pillars. It has also been proposed to extend the side air bag system across pillars to form a curtain along a substantial portion of the vehicle side interior to provide a restraint for occupants in the first and second row of vehicle seats of passenger vehicles. See, for example, U.S. Pat. 6,152,482 (Patel et al), assigned to the assignee of the present invention. However, merely extending the curtain air bag, in order to provide rollover protection in minivans and sport utility vehicle with a third row of seats, presents several problems including interference with air conditioning ducts located in the roof rail and in meeting time deployment criteria.
In accordance with the present invention, an inflatable occupant restraint is provided for protecting occupants seated in the third row of an automotive vehicle. The proposed restraint does not deploy through the vehicle trim and is deployed within the time requirement necessary to protect occupants in the third row seats. The proposed restraint is provided in addition to the current curtain design protecting front and second row seat passengers. The proposed restraint can also be used in a rear lift gate with fixed glass for rear impact protection. The inflatable occupant restraint of the present invention includes a plurality of approximately vertically disposed inflatable restraint devices which are connected together and in a preferred embodiment are attached to the side of the vehicle between the C pillar and the D pillar. One or more horizontal tethers secured to the inflatable restraint devices and to the C and D pillars hold the devices in position prior to and after inflation of the devices.